Rebuilding plan gets boost or downgrade depending on tonight's game

Set aside, if you can, the topic of the day for the Dolphins -- an enraged right tackle Jonathan Martin leaving the team.

Look at the big picture for this franchise. Ross. Ireland. Philbin. Tannehill.

A victory tonight against Cincinnati would show they can drag their car out of a ditch, so to speak. The Dolphins would be 4-4. It would mean playoff hopes, and the master plan, are still alive. They could exhale a small bit and prepare for the second half of the season. They survived.

A loss, however, and everything is different. It means a 3-5 record, along with the burden of a five-game losing streak. It almost ensures the rest of the season becomes a referendum on owner Steve Ross’ decision-making, whether general manager Jeff Ireland, coach Joe Philbin and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the men he picked, are the right men to lead this organization.

You could say tonight’s nationally-televised game against the Bengals goes a long way toward rescuing a season, and a dream, that seems to be slipping away.

You know the situation: The Dolphins (3-4) are on a four-game losing streak. Martin is gone, which made national news. Center Mike Pouncey was served with a subpoena in such a high-profile way it made national news. Wide receiver Brandon Gibson has been lost for the season with a knee injury. The offensive line is still in shambles. Tannehill has been sacked a league-worst 32 times, and as a result has been on the injury report twice with right shoulder problems. Defensive end Cam Wake, the team’s best player, can’t help. He’s been significantly slowed by a left knee injury.

And there’s this, too. The Dolphins were outscored, 24-0, in the second half in last week’s 27-17 loss at New England. There’s a report that some offensive players are questioning offensive coordinator Mike Sherman’s playcalling. And one NFL expert, former executive Gil Brandt, recently named the Dolphins’ 2013 draft class the NFL’s worst performing group to this point of the season.

On top of all this, Cincinnati (6-2) comes to Sun Life Stadium on a four-game win streak.

They’re tough conditions, no doubt. But the NFL is a bottom-line business. Win, or else. Either you’re right for the job, or you’re not.

In all fairness, a loss tonight doesn’t mean the season is over. Not at all.

You never know what could happen. Yes, it’s tough to overcome a five-game losing streak and get to the playoffs. But there’s hope.

Among the 12 playoff teams last year, four overcame poor regular season stretches of some sort. Super Bowl champion Baltimore lost four of its last five, Houston lost three of its last four, Minnesota was 2-5 after seven games, and Washington was 3-6 after nine games.

The Dolphins being 3-5 after eight games isn’t necessarily a fatal blow.

Plus, Ross has never specifically stated he expects this team to get to the playoffs. He’s only said he wants to see improvement. That leaves a lot of gray area to claim progress.

So a loss tonight doesn’t necessarily mean the overall vision, the grand plan, is dead.

In the same regard, a victory tonight wouldn’t mean anything absolute, either. But it would be a strong indication Ross has picked the right men for the top jobs in his organization.

It would show Philbin can coach this team to victory regardless of what else is going on, Ireland gave him enough talent to win, and Tannehill is capable of making it all work on the field.